Cherry Cola
by Alithea
Summary: Post-EW. Nichol waits for the other members of his dinner party and finds himself the victim of a set up.


**Title: Cherry Cola  
Rating: PG  
Characters are not mine I am just borrowing.  
A/N: Written with much love and affection for Jilly-chan after she tackled a challenge of mine with gusto, even if it did hurt her brain a little.**

Nichol tried to avoid looking anxious as he sat in the bar of the restaurant and waited for the rest of the dinner party to arrive. He looked at his watch and huffed, then sipped from his glass of ice water.

He had agreed to come because Sally had asked him to. He couldn't say no to her easily, and when she smiled, cool and easy, perfectly steady, it was even harder. She was practically the only sane person over at the Preventor offices, though she always denied it. He thought he understood why she said that about herself, but didn't cling to it. He was so often wrong in his understanding of other people, especially women.

He brushed his fingers through his hair and then sat more upright than usual when the restaurant door swung open and a young blonde walked in. He thought he should know her. She had a familiar look, something in the eyes perhaps, or was it the smile. Cool, steady, sort of like Sally's, but different enough to dismiss any immediate relation.

She walked over to him and he did his best not to tip the table as he stood up to greet her.

"You must be Nichol," she said. Steady, cool, but not deep. She was lighter in pitch and tone.

He nodded and held out his hand. "Yes, Richard Nichol."

She accepted his hand, and the hand shake was firm, but not aggressive. "I'm Sylvia, Sylvia Noventa." She looked around the little bar. "I had thought Sally would be here already."

He shook his head. "Everyone seems to be running late."

She sat down. He did as well.

The name seemed familiar to him and when the recollection occurred, an image of a Gundam striking down a shuttle, he tried not to let it show on his face. He looked her over and then made an offer to get her a drink.

"What are you having?" The smile was so powerfully charming.

"Ice water."

"I see." She tilted her head and then said, "I'll have a cherry cola. No zombie cherries in the glass though."

He nodded and got up. As he strode over to the bar her joke hit him and he grinned as he asked the bartender for a cherry cola with no Maraschino cherries. He walked back over with the drink and tried not to be overwhelmed by how attractive he found her. It was the smile, or was it something else? He wanted to place it, but knew better than to try.

Nichol glanced down at his watch. "Very very late."

"Sally's never late." She leaned forward and took a sip from the her drink, and then crossed her legs and leaned forward, elbows on the table, tilting her head in thought as she let it rest in her hand. "I wonder…"

And the thought drifted over to him unfinished but easily read.

"It's possible."

Sylvia sat up and laughed. "I didn't know you were a mind reader, Richard."

He grinned in blessed relief at the use of his first name. Who had been the last person to address him that way? He couldn't remember.

"Oh, I'm terrible at it." He thought for a moment and then asked, "What is it you do know about me?"

"Oh, Sally mentions you from time to time."

He felt himself go stiff for a second as he thought that maybe this girl was Sally's new flame, but, no, it didn't feel right. And he felt such relief when he found himself get it right.

"Which always made me curious, because you don't seem her type at all, but she collects strange friends."

"Like you?"

"I suppose so." She glanced down at her watch. "I can't believe she'd set us up like this, can you?"

Nichol nodded and said, "Well, yes, and no. Maybe she knew that's what we'd turn it into."

Sylvia grinned. "Maybe. Is that what you've turned this into?"

At this point he felt himself want to retreat away. He'd done it again, misread things, but he stopped himself. He looked over at the young woman across from him, that easy smile. He wasn't wrong. For once he wasn't wrong.

"Yes." He finally said and she chuckled.

"Good. I'm glad I finally got it right." She glanced again at her watch. "She isn't coming, you know? You should buy me dinner."

Nichol stood up and said, "Absolutely, whatever you'd like."

End.


End file.
